Serving Up Information and Services Online

Seven ways Aire Serv's new website can help customers.

Story by Aaron Dalton

On June 1, Aire Serv launched a new and improved comprehensive website (www.aireserv.com) filled with plenty of information on home heating and air-conditioning to help homeowners get a firm grasp on the best air-quality solutions for their particular living environment.

The new site also makes it easier than ever for homeowners to interact with Aire Serv through a customized interface that tailors site content according to the geographic location of each customer. Aire Serv president Doyle James says that the brand-new site is a quantum leap forward from the previous version. "Where the earlier site had basic functionality, this new website contains extensive, deep content that homeowners won't find anywhere else," says James. "There are lots of ways to use the site to interact with local Aire Serv experts, to ask questions and request service, to lay out your home's heating or air-conditioning system, even to buy accessories through a shopping cart—something you won't find at many home service company sites." Perhaps most importantly, James emphasizes that content is unique to a homeowner's location-driven needs—a Buffalo resident will find information on boiler repair or installation; a Miami resident will get tips on keeping cool in August.

Here are seven ways the new Aire Serv site makes it a breeze to find heating and cooling information online:

1-Go local. The first thing you should do when visiting the new Aire Serv site is enter your zip code in the space provided in the middle of the home page. This will immediately transport you to a localized web page of the Aire Serv office nearest to your home. The advantage of communicating directly with your local Aire Serv office is that any question you ask or request for service you submit will go precisely to the person who is best suited to respond.

2-More convenient appointment scheduling. Aire Serv recommends keeping your heating and air-conditioning system running up to speed with regular preventive maintenance. Twice-yearly cleaning, adjustments, and safety checks—once for the cooling system, once for the heating system—can make sure your system performs as expected when you need it most. Or perhaps you think your system might need an upgrade and you'd like to have a technician come over to give you a free in-home estimate. Fill out a form online selecting the best time and day for a technician to stop by, what sort of work you're looking to have performed, and the best way to reach you. You'll receive a response by phone or e-mail, whichever you prefer, before the close of the next business day.

Tip: Before the Aire Serv technician arrives, use the free online Repair vs. Replacement Calculator to get a good idea of whether it makes more sense to upgrade your current system or purchase a new one. Then discuss this with your technician when he arrives.

3-Let a wizard design your ideal heating and cooling system. The Aire Serv website won't help you pull a rabbit out of your hat, but it can walk you through a do-it-yourself approach to creating the perfect heating and cooling configuration for your individual home. Just open up the Home Comfort System Design Wizard™ and choose from a series of multiple-choice questions that guide you through the various options available in heating and cooling systems. Do you want to install a gas furnace or a heat pump? Is efficiency among your top concerns in choosing a system? Do you have a dust problem in your home? Based on the answers to your questions, the Wizard provides you with a list of four choices (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) that include options that the Wizard selects for you. You can then tweak each option further by adding or taking away components—just as you might customize a computer system or a package of auto options. If you're not sure you understand one of the Wizard's questions, a Help Me Choose button will give you additional guidance and support.

4-Expert advice at your fingertips. What if the Wizard has you stumped and the Help Me Choose button isn't, well, helping? Fortunately, the new Aire Serv website also includes an Ask the Expert section filled with definitions and explanations of all sorts of heating and cooling questions. This is the place to learn why ductless split air-conditioning systems are cooler than window units (because the noisiest part of the system is outside), why geothermal heating systems are so efficient (they rely on the relatively constant temperature of water running underground), and the benefits of system accessories such as temperature zone control that can equalize temperature levels throughout a home and prevent certain rooms from becoming too hot or too cold.

5-Clearing the air. In-home comfort isn't just a matter of making sure you're not shivering in winter or sweating in summer—you also want the air you breathe to be as clean and healthy as possible. And yet, according to a 2001 Environmental Protection Agency report, the air inside can often be more polluted than the air outside. Help ensure your health and the health of loved ones who may share your home by making sure the air in your home is as clean as it can possibly be. Aire Serv's website lets you schedule a free in-home air-quality assessment. A local Aire Serv expert will come to your home and assess ways to reduce the buildup of pollutants, which could in turn help alleviate allergies or asthma.

6-Get some satisfaction. One of the greatest things about the Internet is the degree of interactivity that it provides. The new Aire Serv website has made it easy for you to comment on and assess the quality of service that your Aire Serv technician provides, whether it's installing a new system, upgrading your existing system, providing a free in-home estimate, or just answering a question. You can be sure that the satisfaction survey you fill out will be looked at with an eye to improving service.

7-Shop around the clock. Not many contractor sites give you the ability to purchase products or services, but Aire Serv does. Use the convenient shopping-cart model that you have come to expect from leading e-commerce sites to sign up online for various levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) of Aire Serv membership plans. The membership plans provide priority service, discounts, scheduled service, and repair coverage. Purchasing any of the membership plans gives you basic benefits with a whole family of affiliated companies that provide home-care services, such as Mr. Rooter and Mr. Electric.

To find out if your home's heating and cooling system is operating at full efficiency, to schedule a maintenance appointment, or just to learn about the wide range of services and products that Aire Serv offers, explore www.aireserv.com at your convenience. Go specifically to www.aireserv.com/mhl and receive an exclusive My Home Life discount on your next service visit.

Freelance writer AARON DALTON lives in Brooklyn, New York, and has written for Dwell, Popular Mechanics, Wired News, and the Los Angeles Times.